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Creosote-Treated Crossties Laid the Foundation for the Nation’s Freight and Subway Systems

Creosote-Treated Crossties Laid the Foundation for the Nation’s Freight and Subway Systems

Jul 18, 2024 | Benefits & Use, History, Industrial Revolution

At the turn of the 20th century, innovations in railroad technology spurred the development of new kinds of railroad networks centered around urban areas. These short-line railroads continued to depend on wooden crossties treated and preserved with creosote. And while...
How Creosote-Treated Crossties Turned Cowboys into Legends

How Creosote-Treated Crossties Turned Cowboys into Legends

May 29, 2024 | Benefits & Use, History, Industrial Revolution, North American Expansion

At the start of the 19th century, there was no Texas as we know it today. Rather, west of Louisiana—the French colony-turned-state at the conclusion of the War of 1812—was a dry and rugged patchwork of native American and Mexican-held lands. After two rounds of war...
In Brief: The Development of Railways and Creosote-Treated Crossties

In Brief: The Development of Railways and Creosote-Treated Crossties

Feb 19, 2024 | Benefits & Use, History, Industrial Revolution

Crosstie wood preservation methods have been vital to the development of railway transportation, infrastructure, and supply chains around the world. This timeline illustrates the role that coal-tar creosote and other wood preservatives have played in economic...
What Is Coal-Tar Creosote Used in Wooden Infrastructure?

What Is Coal-Tar Creosote Used in Wooden Infrastructure?

Sep 12, 2023 | Benefits & Use, History

“Creosote” Used in Wood Preservation, Explained In the United States, the term “creosote” is pretty confusing. There are many substances referred to as “creosote,” which makes it hard to figure out which type has been used for over a hundred years to preserve wood...
Railways and Crossties Connect Baseball and Fruit to America

Railways and Crossties Connect Baseball and Fruit to America

Jul 20, 2023 | Benefits & Use, History, North American Expansion

By the early 20th century, a shared national identity was emerging in America. Fresh fruit and baseball would become a part of this new reality, fueled by the railroads and crossties that increasingly connected Florida to the rest of the nation.  In the first...
Coal-tar Creosote Puts Trees to Work, Bringing Energy and the Internet to Millions

Coal-tar Creosote Puts Trees to Work, Bringing Energy and the Internet to Millions

Apr 24, 2023 | Benefits & Use, History

Believe it or not, there is an internet meme about utility poles. It “went viral” in 2018 because it was both funny and thought-provoking. It was just a thought posted in a Reddit forum, lacking any visuals: “Telephone poles are trees that cleaned up and got a job.”...
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Recent Posts

  • Creosote-Treated Crossties Laid the Foundation for the Nation’s Freight and Subway Systems
  • How Creosote-Treated Crossties Turned Cowboys into Legends
  • In Brief: The Development of Railways and Creosote-Treated Crossties
  • What Is Coal-Tar Creosote Used in Wooden Infrastructure?
  • Railways and Crossties Connect Baseball and Fruit to America

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American Wood Protection Association
Association of American Railroads
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Railway Tie Association
Southern Pressure Treaters Association
Treated Wood Council
Western Wood Preservers Institute
Wood Preservation Canada

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